PLANS to dedicate areas of the new-look Central Library to Liverpool greats has been given the thumbs up by Sir Paul McCartney.
In January, the city council announced plans to dedicate different areas of the redevelopment to writing, cinematic and musical greats. A shortlist was drawn up and members of the public were encouraged to have their say on who and what should become a permanent fixture at the library.
Final lists have now been drawn up by the libraries and archives team with the help of literary loving local residents who voted for who they would like to see set in stone.
Sir Paul McCartney was a popular choice to be added to the Literary Liverpool panel which will cover the back of the building and celebrates writers who were born, lived, worked, visited or were influenced by the city.
All the finalists (or their families) were contacted to let them know they had been selected, and the libraries and archives team received a raft of replies, including a note from the song-writing legend which said:
“I would be very happy for my name to be used on the external cladding of the redeveloped Liverpool Central Library and Archive. Thank you for doing me the honour.”
Shepherd Construction began work last autumn on the 150-year-old library, which lies within Liverpool’s UNESCO World Heritage site. It will see the full restoration of the Grade II listed parts of the building, which date back to 1860, and the famous Hornby Library and Oak Reading Rooms will be fully open to the public for the first time.
The sections behind the façade, which were built in the 1950s and 1970s following World War II bomb damage and now suffer from damp and a leaking roof, will be rebuilt to make the most of the available space.
The revamped Central Library will also include a new home for the Liverpool Record Office which will house 14km of archives and some of the city’s most historic treasures from the last 800 years - such as the original 1207 charter - in purpose built secure, climate controlled storage.
Not only will the books be showcased in spectacular surroundings, but a new children’s library will also be created.
There will also be state-of-the-art IT facilities which will allow young people to download music and games onto MP3 and MP4 players, with wi-fi and access to computers.
It is scheduled to reopen in Spring 2013. The work is being carried out by the Inspire Partnership, which is a joint venture between Amber Infrastructure and Shepherd Construction with architects at Austin-Smith:Lord and Cofely as providers of Facilities Management services.